Freestone peach pitter



July 20, 1943.

E. 0. BURLING 2,324,470

- mans'roma PEACH BITTER Filed Aug. 19, 1941 WQEM Patented July 20, 1943' FREESTONE 'PITTER,

Eathel 0. Burling, Yakima, Wash, assignorto Pacific Machinery Company, San Francisco; Calif., a corporation of California Application August 19, 1941, Serial No. 407,432

3 Claims. (01.146-30) This invention relates to a device for theremoval of the pits'or stones from fruit having easily separated pits or stones as, for example, freestone peaches.

In the removal of the pits from fruit of the character of freestone peaches, it is only necessary to sever the flesh of the fruit around the pit in such manner as to open the pit recesses and to then loosely grip the pit in such manner that the two halves of the fruit may be separatedv t e pit pocket 8 where the edges 9 are dulled so from the pit or stone. In the preparation of fruit as to avoid cutting into the pit or stone of the halves, however, it is desirable that the two fruit. Carried on the two surfaces of the halving halves of the fruit be completely out so as to blade 3 are curved flanges l0 which are limit avoid pulling of the flesh of the fruit at uncut flanges in that they limit the extent of movement sections of the two halves and to avoid the of thepeach or fruit over the opposed faces of forcing of the halves of the fruit over the freed the halving blade 3. pit or stone in any manner which tends to tear The pit path 5 is formed in the blade 3 with or disfigure the flesh of the fruit or the pit an open mouth H exceeding considerably the cavity. dimensions of the pit of the fruit to be pitted It is therefore an object of this invention to and in fact, exceeding the diameter of the fruit provide a freestone peach pitter which includes so that the cutting edges 6 and 1 at the mouth a severing blade adapted to completely ring and may act from the periphery of the fruit to cut out the flesh of the fruit around a pit, and means the flesh of the fruit as it is moved into the which will temporarily hold the fruit pit so that mouth H of the path 5. The path 5 is formed the two halves of the fruit may be separated from in such manner that it curves upwardly in its the pit by a simple rotary movement. rearmost section l2 from a throat I3 at which Another object of this invention is to provide point the cutting edges 6 and I terminate. a device for the removal of pits or stones from The operation and relationship of the parts of fruit of the character of freestone peaches which the fruit pitter embodying my invention are: includes a blade having a pit passage formed A fruit adapted to be pitted, of the freestone therein terminating in a restricted section variety as hereinabove set forth, is gripped in adapted to retain the pit of the fruit, and means the two hands of the operator and pressed'into for limiting the extent of movement of the fruit the mouth II of the pit path 5 with the edges 6 over the blade requiring a rotary movement of and 1 lying in the plane in which the pit within the fruit halves in order to separate the fruit the fruit lies as is determined by the exterior halves from the held pit or stone. formation of the fruit. The fruit is then pro- Other objects and advantages of this invengressed into the path 5 so that the edges 6 and 1 tion it is believed will be apparent from the folcut through the flesh of the fruit down to the lowing detailed description of a preferred empit. On reaching the throat I3 the fruit is bodiment thereof as illustrated in the accom- 40 rotated so as to cause the pit to pass into the panying drawing. pit pocket 8 where, upon further rotation of In the drawing: the fruit, the flesh of the fruit is completely Figure 1 is a side elevation of a fruit pitter severed around the pit. The rear edge 9 of the embodying my invention. pit pocket terminates the movement of the pit Figure 2 is a front elevation thereof. and as the edges 9 of the pit pocket are not sharp- Figure 3 is a side elevation similar to Figure 1 ened, they merely act to grip the pit or stone of illustrating the operation of the fruit pitter emthe fruit as the fruit is rotated. bodying my i e i n and terminating the move- Correlated with the rear of the pit pocket 8 ment of the fruit and holdin of the fruit pit. and the size of the fruit being pitted are the preparatory to the separatio of u t a ves flanges I0 so that they engage the outer periphery. from the pit. of the fruit halves at substantially the instant the Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 illustratpit engages the rear of the pit pocket 8, preing lI118 final pa t of a ruit half from the venting the operator from further thrusting the pit along the surface of the limiting flange. fruit over the surfaces of the halving blade 3.

In the preferred embodiment'of my invention as illustrated in the accompanying drawing, I indicates a base adapted to be secured to any suitable type of table or support and includes a pair of angles 2 between which the halving blade 3 is secured by means of bolts 4. The halving blade 3 is provided with a. pit path 5 formed by making in'the blade a pit entry recess upon the upper and lower edges of which there are formed the cutting edges 5 and 1 which terminate in These limiting flanges therefore prevent the op- The rear of the slot 5 forming the pocket 8 is curved upwardly from the throat 13 so that the operator in moving the fruit over the blade 3 rotates the fruit in moving the-pit into the pocket 8, thereby tending to ring the fruit flesh around the pit as the pit is located in the pocket 8.

The operation is extremely rapid, only requiring the operator to thrust the fruit through the path 5 until the pit strikes the end of the pit pocket 8 and the periphery of the fruit is engaged by the limit flanges ID. By then applying a twisting action and a downward pressure tothe fruit, the two halves are separated from the pit as the pit is retained in the pit pocket. As the two halVeS are removed from the blade 3, the pit then falls out of the pit pocket '8 permitting a second operation to be performed.

Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I do not wishto be limited to the details herein set forth, but my invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device for pitting fruit of the freestone variety, including a halving blade adapted to be su ported in a substantially vertical plane, the

blade having a pit path formed therein, the edges of the blade in the path being sharpened to provide means for cutting the flesh of the fruit to the depth of the pit, the path terminating in a pit pocket extending at an angle from the said cutting edges and limiting flanges carried by the blade against which the periphery of the fruit is engagedto require rotation of the-.fruit halves to separate the halves from the pitQ- 2. In a freestone fruit pitting device, the combination of a blade having a pit path formed therein, the edges of the blade in the path being sharpened to provide cutting means for cutting the flesh of the fruit to the depth of the pit, and

the pit path terminating in a pit pocket the edges of which; are dulled, curved limiting flanges secured to the opposed faces of the halving blade and positioned with'reference to the pit pocket to engage the outer periphery of the fruit when the pit is located in the pit pocket.

3. In a device forpitting fruit of the freestone variety, including a halving blade havinga pit path'formed therein, the edges of the path being v sharpened to provide means for cutting the flesh or the fruit to the depth of the pit, and the path terminating in a pit pocket-extending upwardly at an angle from the sharpened portion of the path, and the edges of the path being dulled in the pit pocket, and limiting flanges carried'by, the blade to restrict movement of the fruit over the blade whereby rotation of the fruit halves is required to separate the halves from the pit, and whereby the pit is wedged in the pit pocket during twisting of the fruit halves.

EATHEL Q BURLING. 

